A domestic Thursday

The pastor speaking at church this past Sunday intertwined his skill of baking bread into his sermon. He literally baked a loaf of bread during the service. At first I thought it was all just a set, like the bread and the oven were all props of some kind. But near the end of the sermon this delicious aroma crowded out any hopes of being able to pay attention to what the pastor was actually saying. All I wanted was that bread! Then he pulled it out of the oven and broke the bread (it was communion Sunday, after all) and my mouth was practically watering as I watched the heat rising out of the freshly baked loaf.

I was only slightly upset that the congregation was not given a sample on our way out the door!

And I was inspired. If this guy can make his own bread, then surely the same can be said for me! So to the Interwebs I went!

Needless to say, there are about a gajillion highly informative ways to make bread, with all kinds of tips and tricks, methods and warnings to heed. I decided to go with a recipe from the website Delectable Planet which included a video, being the more visual learner that I am.

Since I had plenty of whole wheat flour on-hand, then whole wheat bread it would be! I already knew it was easier and (probably) cheaper to just go to Costco and pay the $6 for my 2 loaves of Oroweat Whole Wheat Bread. The point for me to make the bread was partly to share in the experience with my youngest – just a “me and him” kind of thing. I also wanted to see if I could actually be successful at it. Last, I wanted to know if the taste would actually be worth the effort and expense of continuing to make it myself. I don’t own a bread machine, so I knew this would be an all-morning adventure and of course, the upside to making your own anything is that you’re well aware of the ingredients. Here’s all I needed for 2 loaves of whole wheat bread:

I thought I would use the King Arthur flour but I ended up having enough of the Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat flour, so that’s what I’m judging the bread on – not the King Arthur brand.

Season firsts and hopes for next year

This has been an interesting holiday season for me. For starters, we’ve had several “firsts” in our little family this Christmas.

After 4 years in this house, we finally put up the Christmas lights, thanks to the help of my ever-lovin’ pa!

D has always loved driving around town looking at lights and “blow-ups” that people decorate their front yards with. I was able to score a nativity inflatable for us at one of last year’s Christmas clearance sales and the boys could not wait to see it out front this year.

This was the first year one of our kids had a chance to participate in a Christmas play. D was cute, funny and surprisingly a natural on the stage…especially in front of the microphone!

This was also the first year we enjoyed the annual Christmas parade in town. It’s never been a huge draw for Hubs and I with the boys being so little, but D’s school participated in it this year so I couldn’t really say no to going. I was surprised at how well he handled himself, wearing his cute hat and handing out candy and school brochures to the kids along the way. Apparently the holiday parade is a 2nd Halloween around here…SO.MUCH.CANDY!!

The smell of “funk”

There’s always something deliciously cozy about putting on a pair of oh-so-comfy jeans and a soft, long-sleeved cotton shirt on those first days of Autumn. I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, but in case I haven’t, I hope I get to wear jeans in Heaven. Honestly, they are just the most comfy pieces of clothing I have and if my baby pooch sticks with me for eternity, then at least I’ll be comfortable in my jeans!

Anyways, today has been by far the most Autumn-like weather we’ve had yet. Overcast. Cooler temps. “Cold” even this morning, 71 degrees inside. Brrr!

And of course rain. Lots and lots of RAIN. Ahhhhh…

So tonight, being that I’m not ready to add blankets to the bed just yet, means I reach for the second set of clothing that is amongst the most comfy – the pajamas. Flannel, of course.

When we tore apart my closet this summer and decided that most of my clothes would be on the hangers or stacked on a shelf, I thought for sure another added benefit – besides not needing to take up dresser drawer space – would be that I would no longer have to endure the smell of “funk”. Do you know that funk of which I am talking about?

Typically, when my opposite season clothing sat in a drawer for months at a time, they would inevitably all have a “funk” smell to them the first time I opened that dresser drawer. Certainly, sitting in the open air, on a shelf, would mean NO FUNK.

Wrong.

My cute flannel pajamas, folded neatly on their “winter pajama” shelf, stink.

*sigh*

Maybe if I keep them in the bathroom with me while I shower I can air them out enough to wear them tonight…because I am certainly not ready to start wearing socks to bed yet!

Let the rain fall

The clouds loomed overhead all morning.

The chicken soup in the crockpot filled the house with the warm and familiar smell of Autumn.

The winds picked up.

The sun peeked out, then was quickly hidden again.

“Where’s my umbrella, mom?” echoed in unison by two very excited boys.

Hubs and I begin the search.

“Chicken soup is the perfect dinner for the gray skies outside,” I think to myself.

It took 20 minutes to find them, tucked away from the last rainfall earlier this year.

The changing of a season happens four times a year. Enjoy it to the fullest!